Was a long one but our choice ! Macclesfield canal to Stone

We've been watching the weather and the latest forecast gave us ambition to try and be back on our moorings by Tuesday next week. 

Today our plan A was the bottom of the Macclesfield canal to Etruria. Plan B was Barleston but we introduced a plan C when we hit Plan B and motored on to above the Stone locks. 

Got up at 6.45 am and the engine was lubed and running for 7.45 am and we cast off at 8.15 am. A lovely autumnal morning.

The workers using the A50 for their commute 

The last section of the Macclesfield 

The turn onto the Trent and Mersey needed a bit of reverse to avoid the moored boats on the other side of the junction 

My thinking was not many stop on the North tunnel moorings, more tend to stop at the south tunnel entrance so my planning was for them to be set off just after 8 and be arriving at the north end 8.45... I was spot on as we arrived there at 8.45am  a boat in front of us waiting to go through the tunnel and the first of two boats coming out of the tunnel from their 8am passage. 

Oxtail soup coloured canal 

It is a bit of a tight turn !

So we only had a 20 minute wait and  safety briefing. Alarmingly the tunnel keeper told of a recent rescue of a lady who for some unexplained reason decided to walk down the gunnel to get to the front of the boat and fell in  - she was sooo lucky she wasn't crushed or drowned ! 

Suitably briefed we followed the lead boat who didn't half crash into the entrance ... not ideal for confidence ! It's not a place for the faint hearted or those prone to panic attacks or claustrophobia. Rachel stayed inside with the cat and I had the company of my 240v work light that made the passage a lot easier than the last time. We set off 9.05 and was out 9.45 so a forty minute passage not too bad. It was cold and in the middle quite wet and low. I'd put the titch pipe on the hinged adaptor but we just cleared the gauge as we went in. With the 240v light I was able to take some video for posterity plus a few photos ...

The video is worth a watch to get the full experience of the middle of the tunnel  - 640 feet below the Harecastle Hill and 1.66 miles long ! 

Out the other side and it was a pleasant run to Stoke helped by mince pie and coffee with a tot of whisky in it to celebrate ! 

Looks like a solo run for them 

The canal is such a contract with on one side all new logistics warehouses and manufacturing companies in big new square boxes on the other side lots of derelict old pottery building... so sad to see  

Middleport pottery is still going 

Soon it was  the big Stoke Locks. We held in the top lock but the bottom gates were so leaky Rachel was descending well by the time I came back from emptying the cassette.  We met two boats on the way which helped the passage. 

Stoke bottom lock 

Then it was a cruise out of Stoke towards Trentham lock. We had a boat pick us up as we approached and on working the lock with the lock lady she said they'd got stuck in the Etruria staircase lock last night for half an hour. She could not open the middle gate and her partner was on the boat steering one armed as he had a broken arm in plaster. She had to get help from the C&RT yard staff and a 'large' ( her words) male dog walker.

Why the canal is here  - Wedgewood - click the photo and you'll see Rachel is cruising past the Wedgewood factory. Josia Wedgewood wanted his ceramics to have a better mode of transport than horse and cart and James Brindley build the canal to connect the inland port of Shardlow to the Mersey. It  was designed in 1766!

It was such a nice afternoon when we hit Barlaston at 2.30 we decided to motor on down the Meaford flight which all needed turning but at 4pm we moored up just before bridge 96a.

The section to Meaford is always a joy to cruise 

The roof was a bit messy as you can see ... from the carbon out of the chimney not helped by the titch pipe in the tunnel. The rope had picked it up so my hands resembled a coal miners ! So on mooring I washed the centre line rope in a bucket and washed the roof and solar panel. 

Baked spuds and a crumble I made while Rachel was in the bath !! Eaten now and quite tired.